Chapter 564: Who Are You
Violet burst out of the main packhouse, her lungs on fire and her heart hammering like the grooves of horses during a race. Behind her, the shrill blaring of the alarm wailed across the compound, echoing through the surrounding like a death knell.
It was by sheer luck that Violet managed to escape the packhouse, and now, the guards were chasing after her with weapons. A sharp crack split the air and Violet dove forward as glowing blue projectiles sizzled past her head, slamming into the frozen ground and sending up bursts of frost.
"Those aren’t ordinary bullets," Thalia growled inside her mind. "They’re designed to disrupt a wolf’s nervous system. They can’t kill you, but they’ll shut your body down."
"Good thing I’m not an ordinary wolf," Violet panted, pushing harder. Her legs screamed in protest, but there was no choice here. She was not falling into Zara’s hands today.
The field ahead was chaotic. Smoke billowed from the first explosion in the central lab building. Dozens of pack members were running in panic, their white breath rising in clouds. Some were wearing white coats—scientists, by the look of them—while others looked like ordinary pack members. The flood of bodies created a wall of confusion, and the guards couldn’t fire without risking their own people.
Violet weaved through the crowd, using them as cover. For a moment, she thought she might make it cleanly. Then a guard broke through, charging straight at her.
"Stop!" he roared, swinging a baton crackling with blue energy.
Violet ducked, the weapon passing inches above her head. She lunged forward, driving her shoulder into his stomach. They went down hard, rolling in the snow. The guard snarled and kicked her off, scrambling to his feet with feral speed.
Violet rose too, her chest heaving. The guard came at her again, striking fast. His first blow grazed her arm, sending a jolt of numbing pain through her muscles. Gritting her teeth, Violet blocked the next strike, twisting his wrist until the baton fell into the snow.
The guard didn’t stop. He swung a fist at her head but Violet ducked, countering with an elbow to his jaw. He staggered, but his sheer size and strength kept him upright. He grabbed her around the waist and slammed her to the ground.
Air rushed out of her lungs.
"Move, Violet!" Thalia screamed.
With a desperate surge, Violet kicked upward, catching him under the chin. He stumbled back, giving her just enough room to roll to her feet. Before he could stand, Violet twisted around and kicked him so hard in the head he was knocked out and she felt the impact in her feet.
Staggering upright, Violet wiped the sweat and blood from her face. She didn’t have a second to rest before more guards were pouring out of the packhouse, searching for her.
Her stomach sank. There were too many. Even if their electric bullets couldn’t stop her, they would soon overpower her with their numbers.
Then, like a blessing, a second explosion rippled through the compound.
People screamed as fire and smoke erupted from the eastern wing of the complex, sending debris raining from the sky. The guards froze, shouting into radios. Their ranks broke apart as nearly all of them raced toward the new blast site.
Violet didn’t wait to question who—or what—had caused it. She bolted, plunging into the swarm of fleeing civilians. People screamed and shoved, desperate to escape but Violet forced her way through.
Unlike everyone else running away from the danger, Violet sprinted toward it. Her instincts, sharpened by Thalia’s presence, pulled her onward.
The crowd thinned as she neared the industrial section of the compound. Two massive warehouse buildings loomed ahead, their walls reinforced with steel and stamped with bold black letters: W-A and W-B.
Thalia’s voice rumbled in her head. "The second one."
Violet sprinted for W-B, only to skid to a halt at the entrance. A scanner sat beside the heavy security door, waiting for proper identification.
"Damn it," Violet muttered, scanning for options.
Before she could come up with a plan, a man in a white coat ran toward her, shouting over the alarm. "Hey! You shouldn’t be here! You need to evacuate now!"
Violet’s gaze locked on the ID badge swinging from his neck.
Oh, sweet mercies.
"Sorry about this," she muttered, closing the distance in a heartbeat. One swift strike to his jaw, and he fell unconscious into the snow. Violet crouched, unhooked the badge, and pressed it against the scanner.
The door beeped and slid open with a hiss.
Inside, the warehouse was eerily quiet compared to the confusion outside. The air smelled of cold metal and chemicals. There were crates of weapons and machineries waiting for shipping.
Violet moved cautiously, weaving through the maze of storage racks. But the deeper she went, the emptier it became. There was no sign of Alaric.
Frustration gnawed at her. "Where exactly, Thalia?" she demanded aloud.
That’s when it happened.
A shadow darted from the darkness and an arm shot out, aiming for her throat.
But Violet’s instincts kicked in. She grabbed the attacker’s wrist mid-strike, twisting it hard. But a second hand appeared from the gloom, jamming a device against her side. A burst of raw electricity rushed through her body, enough to drop a full-grown werewolf.
Violet’s knees buckled, only to snap straight again. The current had passed through her like water, leaving nothing but a faint tingle.
The attacker froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
Violet’s lips curled into a fierce, dangerous grin. "Wrong girl to mess with."
With a roar, she drove her knee into his chest, sending him sprawling backward into a stack of crates. The metal containers toppled with a deafening crash, scattering weapons across the floor.
She was just about to strike when the man shouted, "Wait—!"
He then yanked off his hoodie, and Violet froze. The face staring back at her was almost identical to Alaric’s, but just different enough to know it wasn’t him.
Then it hit her like a punch to the gut.
"Ace?" she breathed, stunned.
Ace groaned, struggling to sit upright. "Who are you?"
"It’s me, Violet!" she blurted out.
"Huh?"